Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Gentle Reader,
Once upon a younger life, I was an actress (at least I wanted to be an actress). I had a delightful part of a cockney maid in a play. Now that I think upon it, I cannot remember the name of the play, but I do remember my favorite line: "Oh do go on!" I spent hours listening to audio tapes in preparation for my minor roll. I had such great fun playing this character. My highest compliment came from an audience member who happened to be visiting from England. He asked the housemaster if I was born in England! Can you imagine my delight? I fell in love with the sound of the British voice during those youthful years. I do love love a good movie starring Hugh Grant or Colin Firth. The sounds are delicious to my ears.
Yours Truly,
Duchess of Dreams

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Lord William Prescott is the hero in my upcoming release. I thought it would be fun to interview him.

Duchess: Do you believe in the family curse?

Lord William: Absolutely not, however, there are moments in which it is a damned nuisance. My pesky sisters thinks it is rather funny. It does not help that I hold the ton's record for refusals to my proposals. I believe there is a new bet on the book at White's as we speak.

Duchess: Yes, it is true. No matter how hard you try, no one wants to marry you. Why do you think that is?

Lord William:The curse? No, no, I am teasing. I think I simply have not met the right woman. It is not as if I am old, or pockmarked, or fat, or poor. I am quite handsome (according to my mother), wealthy of my own accord, and I come from a powerful family. Of course, I am only second in line for the title. I think all of the ladies are holding out for my older brother.

Duchess: Do you think you might meet someone in One True Love?

Lord William: I think it is inevitable.

Duchess: Thank you for allowing me to conduct this interview. And now readers, I must say that Lord William is quite the catch. If I were not already married, I would set my cap for him. He is rather fetching -all man with thick, dark hair and the famous Prescott family eyes. I do believe I might swoon.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

I love Julia Quinn's Regency romance novel Ten Things I Love About You. I thought perhaps I would take a page out of her book and give my readers a glimpse into my life. You already know that I love all things Regency, so I will not include it in my list. This list is not necessarily in order of importance.

Ten Things I Love1. I love to go to the ballet and theatre.2. I love a good romance (book, film, or real life).3. I love surprises (good ones, of course)4. I love to look upon beauty (nature, people, things).5. I love to travel.6. I love a great massage.7. I love Christmas and Valentines.8. I love to read.9. I love my family and friends.10. I love to write.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Gentle Reader,I must confess that I listened to Katy Perry's song, Hot and Cold far too many times while creating William and Cassandra's world. Perhaps that is why Cassandra feels William is hot one day and cold the next. I do believe their relationship was influenced by modern day subliminal messages. It is quite vexing!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Gentle reader, I just realized that I have gone an entire week without writing to you. Please forgive me. I have had a particularly difficult case of the megrims (headache, migraine). I do not know how women could bear it during the Regency. Of course, I do believe they used headaches as an excuse to avoid unpleasantness. Do not tell my dearest husband, but on occasion, I confess that I use this excuse as well. I am a bit odd, you see. I can eat and read during all but the worse case of megrims, however, I cannot write well. I am afraid my concentration is limited to input with very little output. This does put me in a quandary when I am on deadline. I must leave you now. I promise to write again soon.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Can you imagine a country run by a mad king? If one considers this little problem long enough, you would realize the ridiculousness of it. What if the king suddenly declared, "Off with your head"? I am quite sure everyone in the kingdom would grab their throat. A mad king is beyond the pale. Some might even have a serious case of the vapors because of it, and others would surely cast up their accounts. A mad king would be a frightening thing, and yet, that was exactly the fate of our English friends during the Regency period. King George III lost his mind. I'm sad to report that he did not find it. Once the English declared George, Prince of Wales (known as Prinny) the Prince Regent, our beloved Regency era began (1811).

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Gentle Reader, Do you believe in family curses? Neither does Lord William Prescott. Perhaps it is only coincidence that he has been unable to find a wife. I doubt very much the curse has anything to do with it. Of course, Lord William's pesky sisters think otherwise. I will let you in on a little secret: Lord William's sisters enjoy teasing their brother about the curse, but truly, they do not believe William is cursed -just unlucky in love. I must add that William's luck is about to change (maybe).

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Lord William Prescott is in want of a wife. Unfortunately, the lady he wants is betrothed.

Miss Cassandra Chambers simply cannot understand her attraction to Lord William. After all, she is supposed to be in love with Mr. Miles Parker. In a scandalous twist of fate, Cassie's future changes when Lord William rides to her rescue, saves her from ruin, and makes her his wife.

When William comes to believe Cassie's heart may always belong to another, he is determined to lock away his own. If only he could lock away his desire for his One True Love.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Imagine, if you will, never introducing yourself to the opposite sex. A lady never introduced herself to a gentleman, and a gentleman never introduced himself to a lady. So how did a man and woman come to know each other? If a gentleman wanted an introduction to a lady, he needed to first ask someone of her acquaintance to make the introduction. This seems simple enough, except that the lady's acquaintance had to ask her permission before actually making the introduction.

This has a certain appeal if you think about it. If you believe a gentleman is a complete toad, you can simply refuse the introduction without ever having to speak to the man. There is no reason to make silly excuses to leave his presence or refuse his request to dance. He cannot approach you if he has not been introduced to you.

Ladies, do you think this rule clever? Or not? Perhaps I can entice you to leave a comment on this topic.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Dear Writer,Is it just me, or do you experience cold sweats while deciding whether or not you should use a comma? Sometimes using a comma is a simple matter, but more often than not, and most especially with complex sentences, commas are quite confusing. I do believe I need a comma refresher. I'm not even sure if my commas in this post are correct. I think I may have a case of the vapors over commas. I suppose this is a silly thing to ponder over. I wonder if Jane pondered over commas. Perhaps she did, but I imagine the rules have changed since then. I think I should read The Elements of Style with an eye towards commas. Those little squiggles can change meaning, you know. Yes, I do believe I need a refresher. Would anyone care to post a comment or two on commas? I would be much obliged.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

I wonder if Jane Austen wrote a blurb for any of her books. I find that writing a blurb is much harder than writing the book itself. I do believe I am almost done after multiple tries. If only I could make the last sentence behave.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Do you ever wonder why so many women are drawn to the sensitive alpha male of the typical Regency romance? I think we want our cake and crumpets too. If we are honest with ourselves, we might confess that we truly want a softer version of a warrior to warm our beds and protect us from harm. There was a time a gentleman would stand out of respect when a lady entered the room. That seems quite ridiculous to us now, but is it too terrible to let a man hold a door open or carry our packages? Perhaps we are drawn to the Regency era because we truly want a man to treat us like porcelain and kiss us senseless all in the same breath. Something to ponder...

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Do you write false starts? I do believe I am a bit of an authority on abandoning pesky beginnings. It just so happens that I have written dozens of chapter threes. You should know that I refused to succumb to a fate of many beginnings and no endings. In my determination to get to the end, I challenged myself to sit down each morning and write until I finished. Unfortunately, I once again found myself on chapter three with nowhere to go. Chapter three is such a bother.

How did I overcome this horrid habit of stopping after I had barely begun? I turned to a notebook with a cast of characters. Once I had the idea of creating a cast, somewhat like a play, and developing the characters until I was ready to write. After another failed try, I decided to choose one of the characters from my cast and begin his story.

I made it to the end. Lord William Prescott came to life. Readers will come to know him in the very near future.

I will give you a bit of advice: First, I suggest you try developing your character before you begin your story. Second, I highly recommend setting your clock fifteen minutes early each morning. Wake up and write, and after a few mornings of establishing this routine, set your clock to thirty minutes early. In time, you will arise an hour or more early, and before you know it, you will write THE END.